This week: Spiritual Integrity Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Brené Brown: “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort. You choose what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy. And you choose to practice your values rather than simply professing them.”
My faith community has been exploring spiritual integrity. We began by considering and identifying our core values, and then thinking about how to live out those values. It's one thing to identify what we believe to be our core values - goodness, humility, honesty, fairness, loyalty, honor, kindness, and courage - it's another thing to live them. These values are earned attributes that must be attributed to us by others; proclaiming them for ourselves doesn’t count. For example – saying, “I am very humble” suggests otherwise. Or claiming, “I am very honest,” – words aren’t enough – prove your honesty.
The root of integrity is about doing the right thing even when it’s not acknowledged by others, or convenient to do so. For instance, recently during a committee meeting, I realized Dunkin’ Donuts charged me for our donuts, but not for the two “Boxes of Joe” (carafes of coffee) I picked up for the meeting. It would have been easy to justify not going back and making things right, “It was their mistake, and it’s not up to me to inconvenience myself by going back to pay.” Fortunately, my integrity won out, and when I went in to pay for the coffee they forgot to charge us for 5 hours earlier, they were very surprised – I doubt that happens very often. The root of integrity is about doing the right thing even when it’s not convenient or acknowledged by others.
Integrity stems from the Latin word ‘integer’ – meaning whole and complete. As in mathematics, wherein an integer is a whole number not divided into fractions, integrity implies that we are not divided – our actions, speech and methods are consistent with our core self, our values, our aspirations. And this wholeness helps us maintain our integrity even when the ethical choices we face are more complex and unclear than making things right with Dunkin’ Donuts.
This more nuanced conceptualization of integrity has profound implications for us, both as individuals and as communities. Integrity requires an inner sense of “wholeness” and steadiness of character. When we are acting with integrity, people should be able to visibly see our values through our actions, words, decisions, methods, and outcomes. There should be a consistency of words and deeds – practicing what we preach – whether it’s inconvenient for us, or as Brené Brown suggests, it might mean choosing to be courageous. Having a strong set of principles is one thing; living them is another.
Integrity is always something to aspire to, but it seems especially important against the backdrop of the impeachment trial going on in the US. It’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless when we are mired in such deceit and doublespeak. Which is why I find these words from Ed Catmull, former President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios so helpful. “Our actions change our reality. Our intentions matter. Most people believe that their actions have consequences but don’t think through the implications of that belief. But Steve [Jobs, owner of Pixar] did. He believed, as I do, that it is precisely by acting on our intentions and staying true to our values that we change the world.” Perhaps it’s the only way we change the world – staying true to our values no matter what. As St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel always. And if you have to, use words.”
As I turn things over to you, I invite you to write about someone you know who lived with integrity. Share your results with me and I will highlight them next month.
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Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
A couple of older items dealing with Integrity:
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Some new spiritual items:
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Here are some responses to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (January 8, 2020)" about "2020 Vision:"
From Lou-Here By His Grace  :
Just because we have found Him does not mean we should ever quit searching for Him everywhere in our lives!
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From shineandre:
I also stand not before the White House with a candle to protest, but before the white throne with the light of Christ to confess the kingdom of God is at hand. Let every soul prepare themselves for a meeting with his Creator.
Thanks for all your comments - keep them coming!  Until next time, Sophy |
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Spiritual: February 05, 2020 Issue [#9997]
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